Our heart remains with the people of Ukraine as Russian troops continue to invade. From the chaos, many stories emerge, sometimes sad, sometimes inspiring, about the resistance and courage of civilians.
A woman who fled Ukraine shared a heart-wrenching story of having to leave so much of her life behind. But she refused to leave her elderly dog behind, even if it meant carrying him across the border.
A 35-year-old Ukrainian woman named Alisa told The Guardian about her harrowing escape from the country. As a programmer for a German company, she had the opportunity to leave war-torn Kiev for Poland, but it was not easy to reach the border.
She recalled a 16-hour car ride from the capital to a village, packed in one car with her mother, sister, their two husbands, four children, and an elderly German shepherd.
Still in danger, they left the village to head to the border, but with so many cars, they had to walk the remaining 10 kilometers in harsh weather conditions.
But the final stage of the journey was especially difficult for the elderly dog: “My dog is 12 years old. She struggled to walk, falling every kilometer and couldn’t get up,” Alisa wrote in The Guardian.
“I stopped cars and asked for help, but everyone refused; they advised us to leave the dogs behind.”
But she refused to give up. Her dog was family, and she was not going to leave him behind. Alisa recently lost her father and had to flee her home. She was not willing to give up her dog.
“Our dogs are a part of our family,” she wrote. “My dog has experienced all the happy and sad moments with us. Mom’s dog is all she has left of her former life.”
So they took the dogs on their arduous journey, even if it meant getting a lift. A photo shows Alisa’s husband carrying the German shepherd over his shoulder:
The family made it to the border, and were placed in an overcrowded tent for seven hours. “We were all there, dogs and five children, all with wet feet,” Alisa wrote. “It was physically and psychologically tough.”
Despite making it safely, Alisa received heartbreaking news. Her husband was not allowed to cross the border due to his age and the mobilization order. Her husband went back to the village, while she entered Poland with the others.
Like many Ukrainians, Alisa’s future is filled with uncertainty. “My plan, oh, I don’t know. I want my husband here. For now, what I am going to do with my kids is decide whether I want to stay here in Poland or go to Germany, like all my colleagues,” she wrote in The Guardian.
Although the situation is not yet over, we can find inspiration in the resilience of this family and their determination not to leave their pet behind.
Share this story with the world and keep this family in your thoughts and prayers.
